Page 45 of The Love Shack

Betty stroked Gladys’s fur. “I won’t be around forever. I want to know that you’ll be okay.”

Her throat tightened more. “My mother said the same words to me.” Right before the scandal turned their lives upside down.

Betty went right past that. “What won’t ever change is our mutual love for animals. You give them the care I can’t. If I didn’t already love you, that’d do it right here.”

Gladys began to snore, which prompted Hero to get comfortable again, too.

“Thank you,” Berkley whispered. “For making this shelter possible, for being my friend and for loving me.”

Heaving a deep breath and closing her eyes, Betty said, “You’re most welcome.”

It was the last thing said, and the last thing Berkley remembered before she dozed off.

Lawson glared at Kathleen, who was in front of his shop and now holding a sign that saidWhy don’t you like me?Not funny.

He didn’t know who’d put her there, but she wasn’t around when he’d arrived earlier, or when he’d changed out the front window display. Lark had given him a great idea, one of many, and now, instead of just showing a variety of his products, he featured actual jobs he’d gotten.

The salon’s apron was visible for all to see, as well as a T-shirt advertising Saul’s restaurant. Next to that was a sleeveless shirt promoting Oliver’s new gym. His favorite, though, was a T-shirt for the shelter that saidThe Love Shackin bold print, and beneath it:Rescue, Save, Love.

Today had been busy with a lot of people coming and going, some picking up commissioned work, others requesting special print jobs, some browsing the many designs for lake life and some specifically for Cemetery.

The town name really was catchy.

Through it all, he’d been distracted, so he had no idea when the mannequin was placed there.

Again, he looked at the clock. He had hours to go before closing tonight, but he couldn’t help thinking about Berkley. In a small town, word traveled fast, so he knew she wasn’t feeling well. Apparently, Betty had wrangled some extra workers for her throughout the day so she wouldn’t be so busy. According to Will, Betty herself had gone out to the shelter to ensure Berkley got some rest.

Would Berkley listen, though? She adored Betty, but she also felt a huge responsibility to every single pet at the shelter. Berkley didn’t just ensure they had food and a clean place to sleep. She gave them love, attention, exercise, the room to feel free while also being a part of a family.

As a customer left, Will said, “You should take your break while you can.”

“What about you?” Their morning had been so busy, neither of them had gotten a break.

“I brought my lunch with me, so no worries.” He gave Lawson a critical perusal and said, “Man, you should go check on her.”

“Who?” If Will meant Kathleen, he could forget it. Lawson wasn’t going anywhere near the mannequin.

“The woman working at the shelter. That’s who you’re worrying about, right?”

“Who says I’m worrying?”

Will grinned. “I don’t know, dude, but you’ve been watching the clock ever since Wheeler stopped by and said Betty was recruiting people to work out there in shifts. Seriously, I’ve got this covered.”

He was so damned tempted, but... “It’s too much work for one person.”

“Nah. We don’t have any more orders going out today, and I can eat my lunch here at the counter in between customers. It’s just a sandwich. Go. Take an hour if you want. I’m good.”

God bless energetic nineteen-year-olds. “If you’re sure you don’t mind...”

“I got you. No sweat.”

Lawson clapped him on the shoulder. “Remind me to give you a raise.” Fortunately, he’d parked in back, so he was able to avoid Kathleen completely as he went out and got in his truck. The shelter was away from the center part of town, but Lawson cut back on the drive by going to his own house and walking through the woods. He wasn’t surprised to see Whitley and Erin, since they both worked for Berkley, but Yardley and Mimi, women he’d met a few times, were also there, as well as Wheeler, who was apparently spending his day off from the restaurant by walking dogs.

When the town all pulled together like this, how could he not love it? They didn’t just welcome people, they embraced them.

Whitley hurried over to him. “Lawson, what are you doing here? I thought you’d be at your shop.”

“Using my lunch break to check on things.”

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